Released November 14, 1995 Length 58:56 Release date 30 October 1995 | Recorded 1995 (?) Artist Meat Loaf Label Virgin Records | |
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Welcome to the Neighbourhood
(1995) Live Around the World
(1996) Genres Rock music, Hard rock, Heavy metal Producers Ron Nevison, Sammy Hagar, Steven Van Zandt, Meat Loaf Similar Couldn't Have Said It Better, Bat Out of Hell II: Back into, Bad Attitude, Dead Ringer, Blind Before I Stop | ||
Meat loaf where the rubber meets the road
Welcome to the Neighbourhood is Meat Loaf's seventh studio album, released in 1995 as follow-up to the popular album Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell. It went platinum in the United States and United Kingdom.
Contents
- Meat loaf where the rubber meets the road
- Cover art
- Collectors edition
- Personnel
- Arrangements
- Band
- The Neverland Express
- Regular Meat Loaf Studio Sidemen
- Special Appearances
- Songs
- References
The album is thought of as a concept album, as all of the songs are ordered in the track listing as to tell a story about a relationship throughout the years. Three singles were released: "I'd Lie for You (And That's the Truth)" (a duet with Patti Russo), "Not a Dry Eye in the House" and "Runnin' for the Red Light (I Gotta Life)". The first two reached #2 and #7 in the UK charts, while the latter reached #21. In some markets, radio stations were also playing "Amnesty Is Granted", even though it was not released as an official single. Despite the chart success of the album and its singles, only "Amnesty is Granted" has appeared on an official live album, Casa De Carne (Live 2008) as a bonus CD with Hang Cool Teddy Bear. "I'd Lie for You (And That's the Truth)" was recorded as a sound check with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, but only included as a bonus download track.
Of the twelve songs on the album, two are written by Jim Steinman. Both are covers, the "Original Sin" from Pandora's Box's Original Sin album (it was also heard in the movie The Shadow, where it was performed by Taylor Dayne) and "Left in the Dark" first appeared on Steinman's own album Bad for Good. The first two singles are written by Diane Warren, who later also wrote songs for Meat Loaf's albums Couldn't Have Said It Better and Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose.
Meat loaf where the rubber meets the road
Cover art
The theme on the cover art and inside booklet is that of detective novels of the 1950s. The booklet, aside from having the lyrics for every song, features a "Detective Novel" per song with modified titles to accommodate the titles of the songs. At least one image, the one associated with "Where Angels Sing" (the final track on the album), is easily recognizable: it is the same image, only with slightly altered colors, as in the movie poster for Lolita, Stanley Kubrick's film adaption of the controversial same-titled novel by Vladimir Nabokov; the typeface used to write "Where Angels Sing" is also the same one as in the poster. This style was also used for the three singles released off the album, with the cover art for each of them being its correspondent novel from the booklet.
Collector's edition
In 2011, a three disc collector's edition was released. The first disc included the songs on the original release with four additional tracks.
The second disk was recorded live at the Beacon Theatre 23-October-1995 except tracks 10 and 11 (recorded in 1989).
The third disk is a five track DVD.
Personnel
Track numbers indicate that a musician only plays the instrument so noted on that specific track.Arrangements
Band
The Neverland Express
Regular Meat Loaf Studio Sidemen
Special Appearances
Songs
1Where the Rubber Meets the Road4:58
2I'd Lie for You (and That's the Truth)6:40
3Original Sin6:04